Oscar's Back On The Right Track After Being Hit By Train

Eight-year-old Oscar required emergency surgery at Linnaeus-owned DWR Veterinary Specialists in Six Mile Bottom, Cambridgeshire to amputate his tail and repair his horrific wound.

Oscar’s medical emergency started after he escaped from his owner’s garden when being let out in the morning to go to the toilet but a gate had been opened overnight, it’s thought by a prowler.

Unfortunately, Oscar wandered onto a railway cutting near the garden and his distressed owners heard the train blow its horn followed a terrible cry from Oscar.

Oscar was later found miles away from his home with a large degloving injury, where the skin was pulled back over his tail base.

Oscar’s owner, Wendy Beazley, from Ipswich, said: “We tried to call Oscar for his morning walk and realised he was missing from our garden.

“Next we heard a terrible cry from Oscar when he was hit by a train but it wasn’t for another three to four hours that he was found.

“Now he’s had his wound repaired he’s back to normal, back to chasing squirrels and trying to get a head start to the treat cupboard.

“Oscar has been magnificent throughout this, bearing in mind he had been re-homed a few times with various issues before we got him. 

“People have commented that by him not having a tail he would not be able to express himself. What rot! If you know your dog you can read them without the tail.”

Rachel Hattersley, head of theatre at DWR Veterinary Specialists, who performed Oscar’s surgery, said: “Oscar was in quite a bad state when admitted to us. He was stabilised and the wound managed as an open wound until healthy enough to close.

“We then used the skin from Oscar’s tail to close the hole and the operation went as planned. It’s fantastic to hear that Oscar is back to his old self and leading the charge for the treat cupboard.”

Oscar’s treatment also called upon the skills of DWR’s Ed Bellamy, together with its skilled anaesthesia team and dedicated veterinary nurses.

Oscar’s owner Wendy added: “We have used DWR Veterinary Specialists once in the past and have always received excellent service. The vets talked us through the whole procedure step by step and constantly kept us informed. They even spoke about Oscar and treated him as if he was their own dog.”

DWR Veterinary Specialists offers specialist-led care in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiothoracic surgery, dentistry, cardiology, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, diagnostic pathology, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, interventional radiology, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, ophthalmology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthopaedics, physiotherapy and soft tissue surgery. 

For more information on DWR Veterinary Specialists, visit www.dickwhitereferrals.com or search for DWR Veterinary Specialists on social media.